On Honoring the Ancestors: Voodoo Style

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In honoring the various ways in which Ancestors are viewed and communicated with...

On Honoring the Ancestors
By M. Barard

Haitian Vodou, contrary to popular thought, is not about voodoo dolls and zombies. It is a religion with deep and ancient roots in Africa. The religion is based on the concept of respect: respect for God, the lwa (the spirits), the community, the family, the individual, and above all, self-respect. Hand in hand with respect for the living goes respect for the dead.

The dead, generally speaking, fall into three categories: ancestral spirits, Gede (incl. the Barons and Maman Brigitte), and those restless and mischievous (occasionally malevolent) dead that can cause problems. The ancestral spirits refer to our personal, familial dead. The term Gede often is used to include the Barons, the best known of which are LaCroix, Samedi, and Cemetiere and Maman Brigitte who are the father(s) and mother of the Gede. The Gede give voice to the unknown or forgotten dead. Halloween marks the beginning of Gede time in the Vodou. This is a time when the


An Altar for the Gede.
Photo by M. Barard © 2001-2004. All Rights Reserved.

Barons, Maman Brigitte, and the Gede are honored with parties throughout Haiti. Much like the Mexican Day of the Dead, Fete Gede is a time to remember the dead and to remember that we, one day, will be among them.

Many people involved in the Vodou, particularly here in the US, choose Gede time, October – November, to honor their ancestors as well as to deal with the Gede. Here in the US, many of us have few formal ways to remember our ancestors. In the past, it was customary is South Louisiana to go to church on All Saints Day (Nov. 1) and then to go to the cemetery to white wash the mausoleums of loved ones. These traditions have largely fallen by the wayside even in such tradition-bound places as New Orleans.


Corner Niche at St. Roch Cemetery. Photo by M. Barard
© 2001-2004. All Rights Reserved.

In addition to our annual remembrance rituals falling away over time, our funeral rites have been shortened to fit into our all too busy lifestyle. Once again, even in New Orleans where tradition tends to be the norm for most families, the traditional wake of at least one day and night of mourning before the funeral and burial has started to give way to a couple hours of viewing before the funeral. In the US, the funeral simply signifies the end of the life of the person rather than the transition to a different and important spiritual state. After the funeral we can all get back to our real and busy lives.
The funeral process in the US no longer allows the individuals directly affected by the death nor the community as a whole an opportunity to grieve properly. All parties involved are to fulfill their obligation to the dead and to themselves within one afternoon and promptly return to work. It is no wonder that the mental health of our collective community is suffering. Unresolved fear, sadness, anger, frustration, unexpressed love and a host of other emotions are tied up in a person’s death. The community needs an opportunity to mourn and to help the family through the mourning process.

This weakness in our grieving process is clear when one compares it to the traditions of other cultures with regards to death and dying. According to Malidoma Patrice Somé, author of The Healing Wisdom of Africa, Ritual, and Of Water and the Spirit, the funereal process in his Dagara tribe is far more elaborate and lengthy. Each person in the community plays a role in the mourning process in order to help the family of the dead as well as the dead person. The family must mourn fully so as to not emotionally hold onto the dead thereby inadvertently preventing the soul from elevating to the next level of existence. Also the dead must be given sufficient energy to help the soul make the long and difficult journey to join the rest of the ancestors. The drums, the dance, the food, the drink, the tears, the laughter and the precise ceremonial actions all contribute to the process of helping to elevate the spirit of the dead. The goal is for the spirit to move on and the family to move forward.

In some cultures, like the Dagara, these emotion-filled and elaborate ceremonies take place immediately upon the death of the individual. In others, especially those influenced by Catholicism, the ceremony often takes place some time after the standard catholic mass and burial. In Honduras, for example, it is customary to have a large drum party one year and a day after the death of a family member. In Honduras, the people typically hold the traditional wake before the Catholic mass and burial; however, the drum party harkens back to the African roots of the majority of the people of Honduras.

To hold this party, the family of the dead saves money all year and asks help from family living all over the country and abroad. For days before the party begins, enormous amounts of food is prepared. The house is cleaned and decorated. Drummers are hired and family arrives from far and wide. The drumming goes on as long as the food, drink and money hold out and can last for days. The purpose of this party is the same as that described by Somé. The energy is put forth to help elevate the spirit of the dead so continual spiritual evolution can take place.
In Haiti, another largely Catholic country, the obligatory catholic mass and burial is held upon death. Nine days after the catholic burial, however, a traditional Vodou ceremony is often held to assist the spirit of the individual to move from this world to that of the ancestors. Later, just as in Honduras, there is a ceremony


Finishing Touches for the Altar. Photo by J.A. Mitchell
© 2001-2004. All Rights Reserved.

that often is held one year and a day after the death of the individual, in this case, to reclaim the spirit from the ancestral waters so that the person may continue to help and advise the community. This ceremony may be held off for a time until there is a need amongst a few families to hold the same ceremony in order to share the expenses. Yet and still, the purpose of the ceremony is the same: to help elevate the spirit of the dead to a new level of spiritual evolution.

Here in the US we do not have as many formal methods to help elevate the spirits of our dead. Our ancestors often are seemingly forgotten almost as soon as the funeral is over. We check our watches and realize we must get back to school, work or some other vital event in our lives and leave the grieving to occur on the subconscious level where emotional and spiritual problems can develop. The energy we could use to help our loved ones move on instead is trapped here on earth often tying the dead to us more closely than is necessary or healthy. We need to seek other methods to deal more effectively with death and dying. In dealing more effectively with our ancestors, we will begin to heal ourselves individually. Individual healing can lead to communal healing. Healing the community can begin to heal some of the larger societal ills we suffer.

Ayibobo!